The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, And The Superfreaky Of The NBA Draft Combine

Matt Rudnitsky

2:52 pm, June 12th, 2012

The 2012 NBA Draft Combine athletic testing results were recently released, and while we all know the combine doesn’t mean much, we learned a bit about the incoming class of rookies. Here’s the good, the bad, the ugly and the superfreaky.

THE “HIT THE GYM, BRO”:

J’Covan Brown:

Brown is not the most naturally gifted athlete, apparently. His hands were as small as anyone’s in the combine and his wingspan was fourth-smallest. And when I saw the rest of his numbers, I couldn’t tell if they were those of Texas’s leading scorer or Prince Fielder’s. Like, the dude dropped over 20 points per game last year.

He was the most unpleasantly plump of all tested athletes, with 12.5% body fat. He had the lowest max-vertical of all players (29.5″), even below John Henson, who could probably dunk while lying down. Oh, and he only mustered three reps on the bench press. Guess he’s not overcoming his physical deficiencies in the weight room.

His no-step max reach was lower than Tu Holloway’s, all 5’11″ of him. It was 10’2″, meaning he might not even be able to dunk without a running start, despite being 6’2.25″ with shoes on. 6’2.25″ and 202 lbs. sounds good, but it’s not when you’re slow, fat, weak and can’t jump. Yet despite all of this, he was 16th in the nation in scoring last year. There should be a Rudy remake where the ultimate underdog becomes a college star, called J’Covan.

THE BAD:

Jared Sullinger

Despite significant improvement, Sullinger still had 10.7% body fat. That’s not DeMarcus Cousins or Dexter Pittman level, but he should probably order the medium next time.

His 31-inch max vertical was sixth-worst, but his 7’1″ wingspan gives him a solid max vertical reach. And the dude is sloooooow. Like, Peyton Manning slow. He was dead-last in lane agility, with the same time as the laterally-challenged Brook Lopez and JaVale McGee. He was also dead last in sprints. And despite all the talk about his overwhelming strength, his nine bench-press repetitions weren’t overly impressive.

Sullinger also refuted my sneaking suspicion that he’s a dead ringer for Kevin Love athletically, as Love’s combine numbers were much more impressive than Sullinger’s.

THE GOOD:

Thomas Robinson

Robinson is a freak. Just look at him. Unsurprisingly, he bench-pressed the 185 pounds 15 times. He has 5% bodyfat. And get this: he was second among all players in the 3/4 court sprint. Remember: he’s a (massive) power forward. He was near the bottom in the lane agility drill, though.

Harrison Barnes

We knew Barnes was a good athlete, but this good? He recorded 15 reps in the bench press, just like T-Rob. His 38-inch no-step vertical was insane, tops among all players and the fourth-best ever measured (Nick Young is number one). He was also 13th in the lane agility drill, and tops in the sprint.

Marcus Denmon

Denmon is small, but he jumps high and runs fast. He was fourth in the max vertical (40 inches) and fourth in the sprint. Ninth in lane agility.

THE UNBELIEVABLE:

John Henson

JOHN HENSON BENCHED 185 POUNDS 5 TIMES. IT HAPPENED. IT’S ON RECORD. I REALLY THOUGHT MY 2-YEAR OLD COUSIN WAS STRONGER THAN HIM. DOES THIS MEAN I SHOULD PUT 200 POUNDS ON THE BAR FOR MY COUSIN?!?!?

Jeff Taylor

I didn’t know who you were, Jeff Taylor, but you, sir, are a freak of nature. At over 6’7″ and just 213 pounds, he benched 15 times and has 4.2% body fat (only three players had less). Ridiculous. He did well in the sprint (20th) and finished 11th in the lane agility drill, ahead of Barnes, Jeremy Lamb and Brad Beal.